(i). Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to building construction. More particularly it relates to a composite corner post for providing at least two interior walls.
(ii). Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, more and more effort has been expended by builders and the building trades to improve construction and reduce the costs of construction. Many new construction methods have been devised but these, contrary to the present invention, have been restricted almost exclusively to large building construction. In the prior art heretofore the improvements in home construction have been restricted to the introduction of new materials. For example, corner post construction, whether it be for an outside corner, i.e., a corner in the outside wall of a house, or an intersecting corner, has been the same for a very long time. The ordinary way to assemble corner posts in the past has been to secure studs together to make a solid post. Sometimes blocks were used as spacers, particularly in the case of intersecting corner posts. These posts were normally assembled on the construction site by using a sufficient amount of studding material to make a solid post. The studs were normally 2.times.3's, 2.times.4's or 2.times.6's and at least three pieces were generally needed to construct a corner post. Outside corner posts were made of three pieces and intersecting corner posts were made of three or four pieces and often included filler blocks.
The wall finish material, e.g., wallboard, gypsum board, or lath and plaster, were secured at the corner of the three studs. In setting a new partition in an old building, difficulty was found to be encountered in properly securing the new studs in the old wall while preventing damage to the cut ends of the old wall finish material.
This type of construction is not desirable, since the creating of the corner posts used a considerable amount of lumber and nails and, more importantly it was time consuming and labour intensive. These factors were especially significant because they directly affected the cost of building.
Steel structural members or studs in the form of c-beams and box 2.times.3's, 2.times.4's or 2.times.6's have been used for a number of years in construction work as framing for interior walls and for exterior walls which support, for example, plaster board and exterior sheathing. Such steel studs, when used as structural members for exterior walls, had a primary drawback in that they readily conducted exterior heat into the air-conditioned building in the summer, and did the reverse in winter when the heat loss in cold weather was found to be so serious that the walls were discoloured (called "shadowing"), as moisture, including greasy dirt, was deposited on the colder parts of the wall in direct contact with the steel beams supporting the wall.
Combination wood/steel beams and/or studs have also been suggested, and patented, in an effort to improve the above-identified building construction. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,075,845, patented Oct. 14, 1913, by J. H. Mills, provided a structural material which included parallel wooden strips spaced apart, and two strips of sheet metal extending across and covering two opposite edges of the wooden strips, leaving two opposite sides thereof exposed for nailing purposes. Both the wooden and metal strips constituted an integral structure and an article of commerce. The metallic strip had tongues stamped out therefrom and embedded into the wood for securing the wooden and metallic strips together.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,658,407, patented Feb. 7, 1928, by P. Gustaveson, provided a nailing block for composite walls. The patented block was provided as the combination with a flanged metal wall member, having one of its faces formed so as to fit between the flanges of the wall-forming member. Vertically-disposed shoulders were formed on the side faces of the block for engagement with the edges of the flanges of the wall-forming member. An open loop of resilient metal was provided for securing the nailing block to the wall member.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,005,146, patented Jun. 18, 1935, by G. F. Kotrbaty, provided a self-supporting building member and joint. Such building member was provided in a wall construction including a plurality of juxtaposed building units having spaced wall sections and end sections joining the wall sections. The end sections were provided with centrally-disposed, tongue-receiving slots and channel sections on either side of the slot sections. A tongue keying member having resilient clip members thereon, extending from opposite sides and substantially-parallel to the member, was disposed between abutted building units, and was in locking relation with the tongue receiving slots.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,010,848, patented Aug. 13, 1935, by H. W. Dix, provided a structural unit building member, which included, in combination, parallel wall sections and end sections bridging the wall sections. The end sections included a central portion and lateral channel portions, one of the central portions having vertical tongue-receiving slots, another of the central portions having outwardly extending tongues insertable in the slots. Transverse vertical slots were provided in lateral alignment with the first slots.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,906, patented Jan. 4, 1966, by C. W. Koerner, provided a building corner post and bracket, which included a plurality of vertically-spaced brackets, each of the brackets comprising a body member having two offset sections, a first section and a second section. These sections were connected together at adjacent corners forming two opposed rectangular recesses on opposite sides of the bracket. Each of the sections had a pair of flanges secured thereto in a perpendicular relationship to the body member, the flanges being secured to the edges of the sections adjacent the recesses. A first upright member was secured in one recess to one of the flanges from the first section and one of the flanges from the second section. A second upright was secured in the other recess to the remaining flange of the first section. A third upright was secured in the last mentioned recess to the remaining flange of the second section. Adjacent surfaces of said second and third upright members were in abutting perpendicular relationship, thereby to form an inside corner therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,429, patented Nov. 22, 1966, by G. D. Ratliff Jr., provided a composite wood-metal structural member, which included a top chord member, a bottom chord member spaced therefrom and a panel extending between and secured to the members. The top chord member was a flanged metal member disposed with its flange parallel to the panel and in abutting relation therewith. The flange had flexible spurs extending therefrom. The panel was impaled on the spurs, whereby, on initial loading of the beam, the resulting stress in the panel was only partially transferred to the top chore member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,194, patented Apr. 15, 1975, by R. W. Matuschek et al., provided a structural corner post.
The patented corner post, which included a verticallyextending elongated column, the top and bottom surfaces of the column being flat and parallel, each of the top and bottom surfaces being divided into first and second zones. Upper and lower generally-flat end caps overlay and were secured to the first zones of the top and bottom surfaces respectively in parallel relation and extending in the same direction. End caps were provided which included vertically-aligned overhanging edge portions which formed a female receptacle with an adjacent and intermediate vertical surface on said column. The female receptacle was adapted to receive therebetween a vertical structural member. The second zones of the top and bottom surfaces overlay a laterally-extending vertical edge portion of the column which formed a male connector which was adapted for engagement with the end portions of upper and lower horizontally-extending structural members. The vertical edge portion and the intermediate vertical surface were located 90.degree. apart. The column comprised a pair of longitudinally-extending structural elements arranged in parallel relation having the opposing longitudinal surfaces spaced slightly apart and a third longitudinally-extending structural element abutting and arranged perpendicular to the pair of structural elements. The pair and the third structural elements were of substantially-equal length. The third structural element formed the laterally-extending vertical edge portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,302, patented Apr. 26, 1977, by L. J. Meyer, provided a metal flange web connection, which included two coextensive spaced-apart parallel channel portions facing the same direction and extending the length of the member. Each of the channel portions defined a slot having parallel walls for engaging and clamping to the opposite faces of an edge portion of a plywood sheet. The walls had a large number of sharp projections extending inwardly for penetration into the plywood, thereby to form a friction bond with both faces of the plywood along the length of the channel portion. The adjacent walls of the channel portions also defined a third channel portion which was parallel to, and faced in a direction opposite from the first two channel portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,225, patented Aug. 21, 1984, by J. K. Hovind, provided a stud extender, which consisted solely of a first wide flat side, a second side, which was substantially-parallel and spaced from the first wide flat side, and a flat front, free of any elements frontward thereof. The flat front was perpendicular to, and adjoined, the two sides at substantially-square corners, all formed solely of sheet metal. At least one wide flat side had means for locating the stud extender against a wood stud with the front of the extender in a uniform-spaced parallel relationship to the front of the wood stud when the wide flat side was disposed against and extending across a minor extent of the side of the wood stud.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,098, patented Oct. 28, 1986, by L. H. Taylor, provided a metallic structural member, which included a hollow, generally-quadrangular in transverse cross-section stud consisting of at least three contiguous walls with the middle of the at least three walls being provided with a multiplicity of parallel, spaced, longitudinal rows of longitudinally-spaced slits, to reduce transmission of heat and sound there across and to prevent convection of air currents therethrough. Alternate rows of slits were staggered such that the longitudinal spaces of one row were positioned substantially-midway of the length of the slits of adjacent rows, thereby further reducing sound and heat transmission across at least three walls.
Canadian Patent No. 130, 742, patented Jan. 23, 1911, by S. Whitehall, provided joints for cleats, which included two members, each member having its abutting ends mitred to provide an inclined face and also a reduced end portion and a shoulder. The shoulder was diagonally opposite the reduced end portion. The latter and the shoulder of one member lay adjacent opposite edges of the inclined face of the other member.
Canadian Patent No. 266,651, patented Dec. 14, 1926, by E. A. Isaac, provided a corner lock, which included planks meeting at a desired angle. Inner and outer metal plates were bent at a corresponding angle and were provided with registering bolt holes. Bolts and nuts were provided. Kerfs were provided in the outer surfaces of the planks. Flanges on the outer plate fitted into the kerfs.
Canadian Patent No. 324,361, patented Jul. 19, 1932, by I. R. Wilson, provided a fastening means for corner frame members, which included an integral plate having substantially-right angularly extending leg portions which engaged the sides of the frame members to be braced and an integral connecting portion connecting the leg portions. Flanges were struck out from the leg portions and engaged the frame members within the plane of their joint. One flange extended from the connecting portion of the plate to lie within the plane and across the joint of the frame member. That flange was substantially-rectangular in shape and was reinforced by the connecting portion, with the free edges of the flange contacting with the sides of the frame members.
Canadian Patent No. 695,368, patented Oct. 6, 1964, by J. Conville, provided a wall partition fitting, which included a one-piece fitting having a body, with first, second, and third channels on the body. The first and second channels had outer edges and opened away from each other and lay in the plane of the second wall. Wallforming material was provided for the second wall and was in part positioned in the first and second channels. The third channel opened transversely to the direction of opening of the first and second channels. A partition wall stud was positioned in the third channel, the third channel being defined by opposed flanges, one of the flanges being secured to the first channel outer edge and the other of the flanges being secured to the second channel outer edge. Both flanges were secured to the stud. Parts of the wall-forming material for the partition wall overlay both of the flanges and was secured to the stud. The partition wall-forming material extended to the wall-forming material of the second wall completely to enclose the fitting.
Canadian Patent No. 697,320, patented Nov. 10, 1964, by H. G. Kewley, provided a joint between two members which was constructed using a retaining strip, where one or both of the parts to be joined was formed with a groove extending along the member adjacent its edge to receive a flange of the retaining strip or was provided with a shoulder or block over which the flange can engage. The joint so constructed included two members or parts which were retained in position in contact with each other by the engagement in, or with, grooves or shoulders formed in, or on, one or both of the two parts to be joined.
Canadian Patent No. 857,130, patented Dec. 1, 1970, by S. Mollinger, provided a corner connection, which included an initially-flat metal bar which was deformed so as to obtain two exterior legs, a series of main flaps with counter flaps and a series of penetrating prongs. The penetrating prongs were struck out and bent from the metal bar at a substantially-right angle thereto. The metal bar was bent at a substantially-right angle to form two exterior legs. The main flaps were struck out and bent at a substantially-right angle to one of the exterior legs at such a distance from the juncture of the legs as to allow for the thickness of one of the members to be connected. The counter flap was struck out of the main flap and was bent at an acute angle thereto at such a distance from the base of the main flap as to allow for the thickness of one of the members to be connected and to allow insertion of both members to be connected without interference with the penetrating prongs. The exterior legs and the main flaps were bent away from the projected faces of members to be connected at an angle governed by the length of the penetrating prongs.
Canadian Patent No. 858,168, patented Dec. 15, 1970, by J. M. van Ryn, provided a corner bend, which included a unitary sheet metal member having a pair of longitudinal flanges normally forming an angle therebetween of less than 90.degree. and resiliently joined together along the apex of the angle by an integrally-formed bead portion having an arcuate surface intersected by each flange. Each flange was provided with a roughened external surface to enable a filler compound to adhere thereto. They were also provided with toothed means formed integrally of each flange and directed towards the opposite flange. The toothed means was adapted to penetrate the surface of a dry wall structural element and to engage therewith when the corner bead was applied thereto.
Canadian Patent No. 1,073,182, patented Mar. 11, 1980, by Nisbet, provided a moulded plastic corner connector, which was adapted to be removably secured by friction fit to elongated frame members for effecting a removable resilient connection therebetween. The joining member included a plurality of interconnected webs of resilient material. The webs formed a deep channel of substantially-U-shaped cross-section having spaced opposed sides joined by a relatively narrow web. The channel comprised two channel sections disposed at right angles to each other, the spaced opposed sides of the channel comprising two substantially-flat congruent L-shaped webs, the relatively narrow web joining the sides of the channel extending between the outside edges of the L-shaped webs. The sides of the channel were additionally joined by a diagonally-disposed reinforcing rib extending from the inside corners of the L-shaped webs to the outside corners thereof.